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Date |
Ascent Time |
Descent Time |
| 1st Time |
17 Feb 01 |
6:00 |
3:00 |
Here we are at the Bow Lake Parking lot at 0700. During this time of year, it's still relatively dark.
Given the clear skies, the temperatures went down quite low. It was -31°C when we started.
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Given the cold temperatures, we had some problems. The glue on our skins wouldn't stick. Here we see
Rob trying to duct tape the skins onto the skis. That worked for about 10 minutes. I guess, everything
is a learning experience.
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As we came out of the canyon, we could see our objective. The valley getting up to the "notch" in the
summit ridge was quite bare with snow. The glacier was all ice, forcing us to take some daring routes
across some big avalanche terrain. Fortunately, the snow seemed pretty stable in the areas of concern.
The (N) represents the notch, while the (S) represents the actual summit.
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After a lot of trail breaking through very soft snow, we made it to the notch. Here is the only bit of
"scrambling" on the way to the true summit. At this point, Rob wasn't feeling very well, so he stayed
at the notch, while I continued on to the summit. The ski back down was sheer agony. You would be going
along in boot-top crust, then suddenly sink to your waste in unconsolidated powder. It wasn't exactly
fun.
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From the summit, you can see most of the peaks around the Wapta. Shown here is the "Onion" (O),
North Rhondda (N) and South Rhondda (S).
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